44 days, 41

Normal day at the building site. Nikita's getting ready to paint, using some lovely clay-based paints and casein primer. Nice and natural. You're not sure? Does the word 'casein' induce a little doubt? Should we find out more? Casein, a 'protein commonly found in mammalian milk' (thanks Wikipedia!) Now doesn't that sound sweet and harmless? You make this watery potion containing casein and apply in on walls, just before the paint. Look - Nikita's about to do exactly that... He opens the bottle where I stored some casein primer a few days ago.

It does this soft fffsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

Then, in succession: we are engulfed in a cloud of the most horrendous foul smell you can imagine (yes Moona, even worse than rotten onions!). We both scream with the only resulting effect that we inhale more of it and a) I realise it couldn't be Nikita and b) he realises it couldn't be me. We run and gag. We try not to breathe. We try not to puke. We squirm and suffocate a little. Can't bear to take another breath, can't quite carry on without one... The noxious cloud is still hanging low, inside the house and in the back garden – where Niki bravely disposed of the poison in the bottle. We run further away and cough and gasp. WHAT is this HORROR?

And this is how we learn some more about casein.